From Packs To Pitches: Global Lay's® RePlay Program Gives Packaging A New Purpose With Sustainable Football Pitches

In partnership with the UEFA Foundation and streetfootballworld, Lay's uses football as a force for good in local communities around the world

PURCHASE, N.Y., June 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Lay's® announces a new global initiative, Lay's RePlay, to bring joy to deserving communities around the world through the power of football. Lay's has partnered with the UEFA Foundation for children and streetfootballworld to reuse empty chip packs to help create sustainable football pitches, uniting communities and driving positive outcomes for people and the planet.

Sebnem Erim, VP, Marketing, Global Foods, PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP) comments, "Providing people with joy one chip and one bag at a time is at the heart of our brand. Building upon decades of experience bringing people together with the game, we are proud to introduce Lay's RePlay. More than just a planet positive pitch, we are working with local partners to build spaces and programs that can deliver positive impact and change for generations to come."

Up to five Lay's RePlay football pitches are expected to open in 2021 around the world, with the first in Tembisa, South Africa, followed by communities in Russia, Brazil, Turkey, and the UK. With the potential of more than 3,600 hours of play and educational-sporting programs benefiting over 16,000 members of the community in the first year alone, Lay's RePlay places strong emphasis on including community members and local organizations throughout the planning, construction and maintenance phases of each pitch, with the goal to develop programming that can address social issues impacting each community, while fostering safe access to the sport. For example, in South Africa, local programming looks to empower youth, promote inclusivity, and share key life skills and pro-social behaviors with EduFootball sessions. 

Supported by long-time global Lay's ambassador and six-time Ballon d'Or winner, Lionel Messi shares, "I was lucky enough to start playing football at a young age and it transformed my life. Everyone deserves the chance to play and fall in love with the sport, and Lay's RePlay is giving communities across the world that opportunity. I'm proud to give back through this project and excited about the impact it can have on the next generation."

Lay's RePlay pitches maximize social value, while minimizing environmental impact. From the materials making the pitch to the installation, the pitches are designed to be as environmentally sustainable as possible. In partnership with GreenFields, a global artificial pitch manufacturer, the empty Lay's chip packets are collected from local waste and recycling partnerships and given a second life – shredded and converted into pellets that form the underlying layer beneath the turf, called Ecocept™. Both the turf and Ecocept™ layer are 100% recyclable at the end of their life span. Beyond the turf, Lay's has committed to adopt a carbon compensation strategy that will ensure all pitches deliver a net zero carbon footprint over their life spans of an estimated 10 years.

This global initiative and commitment by Lay's has been verified by independent consultancy, Good Business, with an in-depth study finding that Lay's RePlay pitches have a significantly lower environmental impact than alternative artificial pitches across several areas, including: reduced greenhouse gas emissions, microplastic pollution, recyclable material and turf, ecological disturbance, and water usage.

Aleksander Čeferin, Chairman of UEFA Foundation for children, states, "We've seen first-hand how football and sport can be used to better people's lives. By working together and supporting Lay's RePlay, we are having an instant impact on thousands of people who may not otherwise have anywhere to play or an opportunity to develop for the better."

Lay's has longstanding ties in the football community and is an official partner of the Men's UEFA Champions League and UEFA Women's football. The brand launches Lay's RePlay as a progression of the artificial pitches it developed with the UEFA Foundation for children in Jordan's Za'atari and Azraq Refugee Camps in 2017 and 2018, which have since provided 35,000 people with access to the sport.

Press Contact: pepsicomediarelations@pepsico.com

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $70 billion in net revenue in 2020, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker, Tropicana and SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 23 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Convenient Foods and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. "Winning with Purpose" reflects our ambition to win sustainably in the marketplace and embed purpose into all aspects of our business strategy and brands. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

About UEFA Foundation

Established in 2015, the UEFA Foundation for Children is a charitable organisation governed by Swiss law. It defends the rights of underprivileged children by using the power of football to improve their lives and to help them develop their potential and find their place in the community. The foundation currently invests in 168 projects and so far to 318 projects in 116 countries worldwide. More than 1,180,000 children have already benefited from the foundation's work since its creation. For more information, visit www.uefafoundation.org.

About streetfootballworld

streetfootballworld is a non-profit organisation representing the world's largest community of organisations implementing programmes in the field of football and sport for good, with nearly two decades building and implementing social impact strategies through sports and particularly football in cooperation with a wide range of partners – from the football industry, sponsors, governments, and private partners. The streetfootballworld network is an initiative created by the organisation to connect and empower community organisations using football in specific, and sport in general, as a tool to drive social impact.

For more information, visit www.streetfootballworld.org.

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